LET EARTH RECEIVE HER KING

JOY

Isaiah 61:1–4 NRSV

1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

Isaiah 61:8–11 NRSV

8 For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

If you want to see pure joy at Christmastime, just look into the eyes of a child seeing all of the lights and celebrations for the first time. I had almost forgotten what that was like when my kids grew up, but then came the grandkids! At Christmastime, we sing songs like “Holly, Jolly, Christmas” and “Joy to the World.” Everywhere you go, they are piping in exciting, fun, upbeat Christmas music. Even The Little Drummer Boy got a remake, and what was a steady beat and kind of repetitive song was made more exciting a couple of years ago by King & Country.

For all of the Decking of the Halls and all of the Merry Christmases or even the Happy Holidays, for many, this time of year is difficult. This year, more than any other I remember, there are many people that are struggling. Whether it is because of the loss of a job, or loss of a loved one, or just the seemingly never ending battle against Covid-19 that has us back to online services only. Those that are lonely, that loneliness is highlighted in a season that is all about celebrating with others, and this year, even our usual celebrations have been changed or challenged by all of the Covid restrictions.

The other night, I was watching the Great Christmas light fight, and there was a contestant that had placed light strings exactly 2.5” apart over his entire house and other sets that he had created. It was a spectacle to behold. There were so many red lights on his house that it was impossible to tell that his house was actually blue!

It’s what we do isn’t it? We cover over all kinds of surfaces with lights and decorations, but it doesn’t change the reality of what is underneath. The harsh reality is that if we would be completely honest, many don’t feel so joyous right now.

Yet, on this third Sunday of Advent, we have lit the pink candle - the one that signifies “joy.” But now, we have read a passage that harkens back to a time when the people of God are lost in hopelessness and despair. Looking over the ruins of Jerusalem, they are brought face to face with all they have lost. Not only are they living in the midst of a hopeless situation, not only are they wondering where their peace went—but they are also wondering if they will ever experience joy again. In the midst of this dark and painful time, the prophet Isaiah preaches words not just of hope, not just of peace, but words of joy. Good news for all who hear: the pain and sorrow they feel can and will be replaced with unspeakable joy.

1. The Year of Jubilee was good for everyone.

a. Scott Daniels, in his devotional book Let Earth Receive Her King, tells us that there are four primary economic codes for the children of God in Israel.

i. First is tithing: We’re kind of familiar with this one! Can I just say how blown away I am at the financial faithfulness of this congregation. For the people of Israel, 10 percent of what is made or raised or grown would go into storehouses for the care of the priests and the poor.

ii. Second is Sabbath: every seventh day is a day of rest and worship, and every seventh year is one of rest for the land and the animals.

iii. Third is gleaning: the edges of fields are to be left unharvested in order that the poor, the refugee, and the traveler may find food.

iv. Fourth is the Year of Jubilee: after seven cycles of sabbath years ( forty-nine years), one year—the fiftieth year—was to be set aside as the Year of Jubilee. The purpose of this year was to reset the entire economic system: debts were to be forgiven, land returned, prisoners set free. Dave Ramsey would love the Year of Jubilee, because if it ever actually happened everybody would be debt free!

b. The Bible records evidence that the children of God followed the first three economic laws, but there isn’t any recorded proof that they observed the Year of Jubilee.

c. Isaiah 61 is about the Year of Jubilee, which is also called “the year of the Lord’s favor.”

d. Imagine what good news it would be to experience a Year of Jubilee if you were indebted to anybody.

i. Your debts would be forgiven! That would mean no longer feeling that knot in your stomach when the person you owe comes around. It would mean the ability to invest in new ideas and follow passions.

ii. Your family’s land would be returned to you! Land ownership would mean security. It would mean a place to grow food and raise animals—two very important things in a rural society, where they are the key to survival.

iii. You would be released from prison! For much of history, one of the most common reasons to imprison someone was because they couldn’t pay their debts. Since the Year of Jubilee meant debts were forgiven, it would also mean release from captivity for some. This offered the opportunity to start again.

e. A Year of Jubilee would mean a year of grace, hope, and tremendous joy for everyone.

2. What the people look upon as despair, God wants to use for a new beginning.

a. The hopelessness of the lost city, of trampled gardens, of burned homes, God is going to transform to joy. The ashes of this place are going to be the fertile ground in which new life is born. A crown will replace the ashes.

b. This is a place to start over. It is a level playing field that will give them the opportunity to become the people God has called them to be. “They will be called oaks of righteousness” means they are going to become a righteous (justice-loving) people.

c. The sin and mistakes of their past can be left behind in the rubble, and they can start a new life. “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

3. The children of God are called to participate in the joyful renewal that God is enacting in the world.

a. Even though it is ultimately God who is bringing about healing, hope, and joy, it is clear that God’s people are invited to participate in this work.

i. Verse 3 talks about their righteousness, which implies that they will participate in right actions, living out God’s justice in the world.

ii. Verse 4 says “they will rebuild,” and “they will renew.” The people of God are actively joining God’s restoration work. They won’t just stand back and watch God rebuild, they will be actively involved in rebuilding and renewing! That is the job of the people of God in this day and age as well.

iii. The people of God are called to do the work of God. Verse 8 talks about how God hates injustice. The implication is that the people of God will act in just ways. Verse 8 also talks about hating wrongdoing but rewarding righteousness and justice.

b. One of the ways we see justice and righteousness being enacted in the world is in the ways that God is going to bring about the Year of Jubilee, which will include good news for the poor, binding up of the brokenhearted, freedom from captivity, release from the darkness, and comfort for those who mourn.

i. These are all active ways that God is going to usher in Jubilee, but the people of God were called and still are called to be active in doing these things in the world in partnership with God. The work of Jubilee is a cooperation between God and the people of God. We can see holiness lived out in the ways that God and the people of God work together in bringing about the kingdom of God on earth.

4. Joy is ultimately not about circumstances but about the hope of what God is going to do, and us getting involved in what God is already doing in the world.

a. We don’t know for sure whether Israel ever observed the Year of Jubilee, but whether they did or did not, their calling to celebrate Jubilee didn’t change. And, regardless of Israel’s faithfulness (or lack thereof ), God remains faithful and good, despite their disobedience. God will usher in Jubilee.

b. The land is destroyed, yet God is at work to transform hardship into beauty.

i. This doesn’t diminish the hardship - it doesn’t completely eradicate grief but redeems it into something beautiful.

ii. This does not mean God caused hardship but that God is able to take even the worst situations and bring something good out of it. Let me be clear - sometimes we here people blame God for all kinds of things, maybe you have found yourself in that place too. But God doesn’t cause the hardship, but He is able to make something beautiful out of the ugliest situations!

1. As resurrection people, we also believe that God will ultimately take the worst parts of life— even death—and transform them into new life.

iii. God is good (all the time) and All the time (God is good) despite the circumstances. The text talks about God’s faithfulness in spite of the unfaithfulness of the people of God. Despite the people putting themselves in such a dire situation, God is still working for their good. Even when we are unfaithful and cause our own struggles, God is still working for our good!

c. Working together with God brings about good news for the poor and joy instead of mourning.

i. We can see examples of the way that working for justice and righteousness brings about joy in the world in very real ways.

1. When a family is freed from cycles of abuse, we see joy. 2. When hungry people are fed, we see joy. 3. When those who mourn know they are not alone in their grief, there is joy.

d. We are called to bring joy into the world.

i. Joining the mission of God in the world shares hope and joy with a world that is often hopeless and filled with despair.

ii. Hopeless-seeming situations are not hopeless for the people of God, because we know that God is still active and working here and now.

iii. Despair can turn to joy.

CONCLUSION

In the midst of our despair, God is at work. In the midst of our pain, God is at work. Even in the midst of our sin, we are not abandoned. In a world that seeks to cover up pain with decorations and lights, God seeks to transform pain into glory. God seeks to have life grow from ashes. So often we try to hide the ugliness and the difficulties. We cover them over, but don’t root out the problem. If you paint over a rotten piece of wood, it may look better, but the rot is still there. You can spray all kinds of good smelling air freshener, but if you have a rotten potato, the smell will return until you get rid of the potato.

We trust, during this Advent season, that Christ came to bring about the kingdom of God in our world, and we have hope that Christ will come again to make all things right. We know the year of the Lord came with Jesus, and is coming in fulfillment when he returns. We can have joy in that. We can look for the places that God is already at work, turning ashes into beauty.

But this work of joy in the world is not one we simply watch and wait for—it’s one we participate in bringing about. Just like the call to Jubilee remained for the Israelites, so too remains our call to join the mission of God in the world. We have the opportunity to be present with those who mourn, to bring light into darkness, to do the work of justice in our world, to live in righteous ways—that others might also see and know the joy of the Lord.

This is good news for us today. There is unspeakable joy despite our circumstances. But it is good news for the world too. So may we go into the world as bearers of joy, as rebuilders who care for our world—that we might share the good news of great joy that is for all people today, tomorrow, and in the future, no matter how dark the days to come may be.